334- 

Wl^p 


wm: 


PRACTICAL 

CMrEEilI!0!l 

:iB3r 

E.  C*. 

VALLEY  FALLS,  KANS. 


I^ra-ctica-1 

co-o:p:E]i^jk.Tzonsr 

A 

S E R I E S OF  A R T I C L E S 

BY 

E.  C-  WALKER. 

PimiSHED  IX  THE 

LIBERAL, 

IL  P.  Peplogle, 

Editor  and  Publisher. 


IJP»ERAL,  MO. 


3 3^ 


PRACTICAL  CO-OPERATION. 


No.  I. 


With  no  special  pnvileges  granted  to  favored  hidividu 
als  and  classes  possessing  large  wealth,  there  would  be 
A\dsdom  in  calling  upon  outside  capital  to  come  in  and  es 
tablish  manufactories.  Capitalistic  pro  -uction  would  not 
then  be  the  colossal  evil  that  it  is  now.  But  the  monopo 
liz.ation  of  credit,  the  monopolization  of  transportation, 
tlie  restrictions  on  commerce  and  domestic  exchange,  and 
the  monopolization  of  land,  utterly  prevent  anything  ap 
preaching  to  fair  competition,  and  put  the  employees  of 
manufactoi  ies  completely  at  the  mercy  of  the  latter. 
Capital,  through  money,  absorbs  the  main  portion  of  the 
earnings  of  the  producer,  leaving  him,  on  the  average,  a 
bare  subsistence,  and  when  the  panics  and  ccnvulsions 
come,  brought,  about  chiefly  by  the  monopohzation  of 
credit,  he  finds  himself  out  of  employment,  want  and  suf 
fering  staring  him  in  the  face,  with  the  market  glutted 
with  the  productions  of  his  labor,  while  millions  like  him 
^elf  are  unable  to  procure  enough  of  them  to  satisfy  their 
most  immediate  and  pressing  wants. 

To  our  friends  at  Liberal  who  are  pleading  for  capital 
to'  come  in  and  open  up  industries  which  shall  furnish  em 
^ .r;:  ploy  men  t to  its  people,  I have  a few  earnest  words  to  say. 
You  read  the  news  of  the  day,  and  you  therefore  know 
"'  what  is  the  condition  of  the  workingmen  and  working  wo 
^ men  of  the  manufactuiing  districts  of  this  country  at  the 
present.  You  know  that  panic,  failure,  closed  doors  of 
workshops,  unemployed  men,  destitution  ai*e  everywhere. 
.^^Yor  know  that  factones,  foundries,  workshops  of  all  kinds 
are  either  running  on  short  time  or  are  now  closed,  and 
^this  too,  on  the  approach  of  winter.  You  know  that  dilf 
-*^erent  manufactories  engaged  in  the  production  of  the 
/r:::^same  goods,  are  consolidating  so  as  to  reduce  production, 

- and  consequently  throw  more  men  out  of  employment. 
^You  know,  or  should  know  if  you  are  prudent,  careful 
"^^men  and  women,  wiselj^  concerning  yourselves  with  your 
^ own  permanent  ha|)piness  and  that  of  your  children,  that 

14  1^54  SLOCUM. 


2. 

there  is  no  class  of  workers  in  this  countiy  occupying 
a more  unenviable  position  than  that  known  as  the  skilled 
wage  workers,  no  other  class  which  is  so  dependent,  so 
enslaved,  so  utterly  at  the  mercy  of  others  as  is  this  class 
which  embraces  the  employees  of  the  factories  and  manu 
factories,  the  laborers  in  the  coal  and  other  mines,  and  all 
in  fact,  who  are  directly  employed  by  monopolized  and 
piivileged  capital,  chartered  and  supported  by  the  State. 

Do  the  I iberal  citizens  of  “the  only  Liberal  town  in  the 
world’ ^ wish  to  enroll  themselves  or  any  portion  of  their 
] lumber,  in  the  ranks  of  capital’s  dependents?  Do  they 
v/ish  to  look  for  their  livelihood  to  a system  of  production 
which  promises  them,  judging  the  future  by  the  past  and 
present,  notliing  but  mere  subsistence  and  keeps  them 
forever  in  doubt  as  to  the  continuance  of  their  employ 
ment  on  these  shameful  terms,  even. 

It  makes  but  little  diiTerence  what  kind  of  an  employer 
you  have;  however  just,  humane  and  liberal  he  may  be, 
he  is  in  the  fatal  current  and  must  drift  with  it  or  inevita 
])ly  sink  beneath  the  waves  of  bankruptcy;  sink  as  have 
uncounted  thousands  of  small  employers,  who  before  him 
have  essayed  to  live  in  the  same  waters  with  the  larger 
iish  of  their  own  species  and  the  sharks  of  monopolized 
credit.  When  the  markets  are  full  of  the  productions  of 
liis  mills  or  mines,  he  must  reduce  production  or  close  en 
tirely  for  a time,  though  you,^his  employees,  are  depend- 
ent upon  your  daily  labor  therein  for  the  food,  shelter, 
iind  clothing  of  yourselves  and  children.  Giant  usury  ex- 
acts so  much  tribute  from  him  each  day,  and  it  must  be 
fortlicoming.  So  long  as  he  can  find  a ready  market  for 
the  fruits  of  your  labor,  you  and  the  consumers  of  these 
fruits  pay  this  tribute;  ever^  cent  of  it.  But  when  the 
market  is  “overstocked,’’  as  it  is  falsely  called;  that  is,  re- 
ally, when  the  monopolizers  of  credit  and  transportation 
have  rendered  it  impossible  for  the  people  to  buy  and  con- 
sume what  they  actually  need, — when  this  state  of  affairs 
is  reached,  I say,  your  employer  must  reduce  expenses, 
lest  he  shall  pay  a portion  of  this  blood  money,  and  so 
your  wages  are  cut  down  or  work  ceases  entirely,  and  yon 
lind  yoursches  with  nothing  to  do  and  nothing  with 


which  to  supply  your  daily  wants. 

These  ai*e  the  sad,  stubborn,  undeniable  facts  concern- 
ing the  manufacturing  business  as  it  is  organized  under 
our  existing  industrial  and  financial  systems.  No  w what 
shall  we  do?  We  need  the  employment,  we  need  the 
manufactories,  we  need  the  productions  of  these  manufac- 
tories. Our  people  have  not  half  the  manufactured  goods^ 
which  they  need,  and  which  the  amount  of  labor  they  per- 
form entitles  them  to  have. 

What  is  the  remedy?  This  I shall  endeavor  to  show 
in  future  issues  of  this  paper,  and  will  «ay  now  that  it  is- 
summed  up  in  these  few'  w’ords — Organize  your  own  cued 

IT  AND  EMPLOY  YOURSELVES. 


4. 

PRACTICAL  CO-OPERATION. 
Self-Employment. 

No.  II. 

In  mj  first  article  under  this  head  I called  the  attention 
of  the  readers  of  the  Liberal  to  the  injustice,  the  uncer- 
tainty of  continuous  employment,  the  meagre  returns  of 
the  laborer,  and  eq^ecially  to  the  fact  that  under  it  the 
employes  always  pays  all  the  exactions  of  the  usurer  when 
his  employer’s  business  is  successful,  of  oui'  system  of 
capitalistic  production. 

Next  permit  a f^vv  words  relative  to  the  important  po 
sition  occupied  by  the  town  of  Liberal  at  this  juncture. 

Platforms,  theories,  generahties,  ideals,  etc.,  etc.,  are 
very  useful  in  their  way,  and  we  never  lack  a sufficiency 
of  them.  But  unless  they  lead  to  practical  action  for  the 
improvement  of  the  condition^of  Humanity,  they  are  bar- 
ren and  worthless.  The  condition  of  our  race  is  not  an 
enviable  one.  Happiness  is  merely  a dream  to  most, 
while  physical  comfort  is  denied  to  uncounted  millions. 
The  rankest  injustice  prevails  in  every  department  of  hu 
man  activity.  The  grossest  inequalities,  inequalities  not 
])orn  of  natural  difference  of  organization  and  of  inherited 
capabilities,  ai’e  manifest  in  whichever  way  we  turn  our 
gaze.  The  toiler  reaps  not  where  he  sows,  and  gaunt 
women  and  pinched,  emaciated,  dwarfed  children  cry  in 
vain  for  the  merest  necessaries  of  life.  The  culture  and 
refinement  which  to  day  should  be  the  portion  of  all  our 
fellow  creatures  are  denied  to  vast  numbers  even  in  this 
nature  favored  land  of  ours.  They  have  no  lime  to  spare 
from  the  bitter  battle  for  bread  to  cultivate  their  minds,  to 
revel  in  the  delights  of  art,  literature,  and  science.  They 
know  few  of  the  joys  of  childhood.  The  struggle  for  ex 
istence  begins  early,  and  they  enter  factory,  w^orkshop, 
mine,  and  the  ranks  of  prostitution,  ere  the  bloom  of 
childhood  has  faded  from  their  cheeks.  Year  by  year  em 
ployment  grows  more  uncertain.  Year  by  year  the  ranks 
of  these  serfs  of  capital  are  thinned  by  the  diseases  en 
gendered  by  w^ant  and  vice,  and  year  by  year  they  are 
more  than  filled  by  recruits  drawn  from  the  classes  just 


5. 


above  them  and  by  their  own  increase.  And  this  aug- 
mentation of  the  numbers  of  the  very  poor,  this  increas  e 
of  poverty,  vice,  and  wretchedness,  is  in  direct  ratio  to 
the  increase  of  the  wealth  of  and  in  the  numbers  of  mil 
lionaire  merchant  princes,  of  bond  and  bank  barons,  of 
land  kings  and  government  and  corporation  cormorants. 

And  all  this  after  these  many  centuries  of  Christianit} ! 
The  million  dollar  cathedral  towers  above  the  huts  of  the 
cibjectly  poor,  and  the  priest  of  god  lifts  his  voice  in  elo 
(paent  defence  of  the  powers  that  bo,  and  of  all  popular 
institutions.  Arrayed  against  the  Chureh  stands  Free 
thought.  Liberalism.  What  will  Liberahsm  do?  Not 
what  will  Liberalism  5 <7 y,  not  what  will  it  promise,  lut 
w hat  wdll  it  k f This  is  the  crucial  test.  Will  it  practic 
alize  for  us  a now  and  better  code  of  commercial  ethics? 
Will  it  make  honesty  and  justice  practicable  rules  of  busi- 
ness? Will  it  show  to  the  w’orld  an  example  of  manufac 
taring  and  mercantile  integrity,  now  no w^ here  to  be  found 
in  ail  the  centres  of  American  production  and  distribution? 
Will  it  convey  morals  into  everyday  life,  and  make  of 
Equity  a judge  of  our  acts?  Will  it  show  us  how  to  give 
to  each  the  full  fruits  of  his  or  her  toil?  Will  it  do  this, 
or  will  it  ignobly  fail  in  its  attempt  to  solve  these  hard 
problems  of  human  necessity?  Shall  it,  like  Christianity, 
be  overthrown  in  its  grapple  with  the  realities  of  existence 
or  shall  it  gloriously  succeed  and  become  in  deed  and  in 
fact  the  Gospel  of  Humanity,  into  Sahation  from  want 
and  w^oe,  from  wTong  and  all  injustice?  ‘*What 
shall  the  harvest  be”  of  all  this  seed  of  Freethought  and 
Liberalism  sown  during  these  recent  years  as  well  as  in 
times  more  remote? 

These  questions,  momentous  in  the  possibilities  of  hu 
man  happiness  or  misery  of  which  they  hint;  now  so  often 
addresssd  to  Liberalism,  have  an  especial  and  weighty 
meaning  for  the  town  of  Liberal.  You  have  gathered 
there  many  intelligent  and  earnest  men  and  w'omen. 
You  purpose  to  make  of  your  town,  an  example  for  all 
the  world.  You  desire  to  show  what  Liberalism  can  do 
for  Humanity.  You  wish  to  establish  there  the  democra 
cy  of  equal  rights.  You  w^ould  gladly  give  to  every  one 


6. 

the  freest  and  fullest  opportunity  for  tlia  development  of 
every  capacity  for  usefulness  and  happiness.  You 
hope  that  none  among  you  may  be  idle,  viciuus,  or 
iriminal.  The  desire  to  educate  the  whole  man,  the 
whole  worn  in,  is  paramount  to  all  else,  I hope  and 
trust.  You  would  inform,  elevate,  refine,  and  beautify 
the  minds  and  characters  ol:  all  who  dwell  in  your  midst. 

This  is  a grand  ambition,  a noble  purpose.  But  how 
shall  this  transcendently  important  work  be  accomplished V 
This  is  the  practical  question.  You  will  remember  that 
there  is  no  morality  without  justice,  and  justice  itself 
is  impossible  where  liberty  is  denied;  for  the  denial  of  lib 
erty  is  the  perpetration  of  injustice.  Ijiberty  and  justice, 
then,  are  essential.  They  are  the  foundation  principles  of 
all  honest  and  equitable  institutions,  associations  and  so 
cieties. 

After  this  long  preamble,  I shall,  in  my  next,  proceed 
to  indicate  wherein,  as  I am  convinced.  Liberal  can  prac- 
ticalize  the  aspirations  of  her  people  and  develop  the  high 
e^t  types  of  manhood  and  womanhood,  upon  the  enduring 
}>,isis  of  liberty,  justice,  social  equity,  eommer  ial  honesty, 
and  industrial  independence. 


7. 


PRACTICAL  CO-OPERATION. 


Self-Employment. 

« XO.  III. 


'i  he  people  of  Liberal  want  remunerative  employment. 
They  also  want  independence.  They  do  not  want  to  be  at 
the  mercy  of  masters  nor  in  the  clutch  of  usurers.  How 
to  obtain  this  employment,  to  attain  to  this  independenc  e, 
to  be  fr(56  from  the  caprice  of  employers,  to  receive  and 
enjoy  all  the  fruits  of  their  labor,  is  the  problem  which 
they  must  solve  if  they  are  to  be  free,  self  respecting*, 
prosperous  and  happy. 

There  are  various  manufacturing  industries  which  could 
be  started  upon  the  co  operative  basis  and  be  made  sue 
cessful.  Among  these  may  be  named  the  c inning  of 
fruits  and  vegetables,  pottery,  the  manufacture  of  sugar 
from  cane,  leather  works,  tin  works,  furniture  w^’orks,  etc  , 
etc. 

^ But  the  canning  business  seems  to  be  the  most  immedi- 
ately available,  and  to  the  consideration  of  that  w^e  w*ill  for 
a short  time  address  ourselves.  Let  all  who  feel  inter 
estcd  in  the  enterprise  combine,  determined  to  succeed, 
and  each  contribute  what  he  or  she  can  in  labor,  material, 
or  money,  receiving  therefor  a labor  exchange  note  issued 
!>y  the  canning  company,  noninterest  bearing,  payable  in 
the  manufactured  goods  of  the  company  at  their  average 
cost  value,  and  receivable  as  a medium  of  exchaisge  l>y 
ll\e  co  operators.  Gradually,  th^se  notes  v/ould  come  to 
be  regarded  and  accepted,  by  your  townspeople,  as  the 
best  and  cheapest  medium  of  local  exchange,  and  the 
same  would  be  true  of  similar  notes  issued  by  othoi-  co 
opej’ative  industries.  These  notes  wmuld  not  be  payable 
by  the  company  until  a certain  S[)ecitied  time  after  the 
date  of  issuance,  thus  givirsg  the  co-operators  time  to 
transform  their  labor  and  raw  material  into  manufactur- 
ed products.  This  interval  between  issuance  and  pay 
inent  would  be  gradually  lessened  as  the  business  of  the 
co  operators  increased  and  there  was  a stored  surplus  of 
products.  Subsequently  as  an  outside  market  was  de 
veloped.,  the  redemption  of  the  exchange  notes  in  current- 


8. 


moiiej  instearl  of  m inufacture J gooJs,  woulJ  bejome  nec 
essary,  scmetimes.  • 

The  original  co  operators,  with  others  comirg  in  from 
time  to  time,  could  extend  the  business  by  starting  other 
industries,  or  separate  groups  would  be  formed,  accord 
ing  to  the  necessities  of  the  work  or  the  inclination  of  the 
various  workers. 

In  the  first  place,  all  who  should  contribute  of  labor, 
material,  or  money,  would  feel  an  absorbing  interest  in 
the  success  of  the  enterprise.  Each  would  feel  that  upon 
him  or  her  rested  the  responbibility  for  the  good  or  ill 
fortune  which  should  attend  the  experiment,  and  all 
would  realize  that  here  was  an  opportunity  to  reap  the 
full  fruits  of  their  toil,  in  so  far  as  it  is  possible  so  to  do 
before  a large  portion  of  our  people  shall  readjust  their 
business  affairs  upon  this  just,  safe,  and  remunerative  ba 
sis.  How  this  good  work  can  be  supplemented  by  a La 
bor  Product  Exchange  Bureau,  I shall  endeavor  to  make 
plain  in  a subsequent  ])aper  of  this  series. 

In  the  canning  business,  you  could  produce  almost  ev 
erything  needed  yourselves;  that  is,  each  of  the  co-opera 
tors  would  supply  some  want,  and  the  stock  for  your 
cans,  the  cooking  utensils  required,  the  paper  and  ink 
used  in  the  preparation  of  labels,  etc.,  etc.,  would  be  pur 
chased  at  wholesale  rates  with  the  aggregate  of  the  small 
f'ums  of  money  contributed  by  such  of  the  co  operators  as 
have  it  to  put  into  the  enterprise.  You  would  make  your 
own  caixS,  print  your  own  labels,  construct  your  own 
buildings,  provide  your  own  fuel,  raise  your  owm  fruits 
and  vegetables  and,  in  short,  co-opemte  for  your  individii 
al  and  mutual  good.  There  is  some  one  among  you  who 
wall  gladly  devote  tie  land  needed,  or  who  will  become  a 
CO  operator  to  the  extent  of  its  reasonable  value,  receiving 
for  it  the  non  interest  bearing  exchange  notes,  pa}'able  in 
installments  as  the  business  develops.  Your  farmers  and 
gardeners  will  become  co  operators,  raising  the  crops 
necessary  in  the  bminess.  Peas,  string  beans,  tomatoes, 
lima  beans,  swmet  corn,  and  succotash,  would  yield  you 
the  quickest  returns  and  would  furnish  work  until  the 
small  fruits  adapted  to  your  climate  and  soil  could  be 


9. 


planted  and  brought  into  learii  g.  Then  many  of  the 
beeves  now  shipped  from  3'our  station  in  stock  cars,  could 
be  sent  to  market  as  canned  corned  beef,  while  the  hides, 
horns,  hoofs,  and  bones  could  be  worked  into  manufac 
tured  articles  by  your  people,  while  the  viscera  would  con 
tribute  to  the  fertilization  of  yoiu*  fields  ' and  gardens. 
Patting  up  pickles,  evaporation  of  fruits,  manufacture  of 
vinegar,  making  of  jellies  and  jams,  preparation  of 
crushed  ai^d  whole  grains  of  cereals,  and  the  making  of 
stare b are  all  branches  ^^hich  could  be  added  later  as 
time  and  exp'erience  gave  you  means  and  skill. 


10. 


PPACTICAL  CO-OPERATION. 
Self-Employment. 

i 'I  No.  IV. 

The  manufacture  of  furniture  and  \^’OOtlenware  ouglit 
also  to  engage  }^our  attention.  The  foreBts  of  Arkansas 
are  accessible  to  you,  and  in  them  you  would  find  abund 
tuit  material  for  which  you  could  exchange  the  various 
farm  and  manufactured  products  of  this  part  of  the  coun 
try.  In  this  you  would  need  more  machinery  and  more 
means,  but  beginning  on  a small  scale,  and  makiijg  the 
excellence  of  your  work  your  first  consideration,  yon 
would  ere  long  find  yourselves  in  a position  of  compai-a^ 
live  independence.  One  of  the  most  necessary  things  for 
a CO  opei  ative  community  is  to  he  independent  of  the  moil 
ey  loaner.  .This  can  be  partly  effected  by  the  use  of  the 
ijabor  Exchange  note,  which,  in  time,  will  develop  into 
the  Exchange  bajik,  and  for  the  rest  we  must  depend  up 
cn  ^^lse  forethought  and  cool  business  management. 
JStrive  to  establish  such  industries  as  shall  give  employ- 
ment, congenial  emplojnneiit,  to  all  your  citizens.  You 
should  labor  to  make  your  tow)i  so  home  like  and  attrac- 
tive ia  every  w*ay  that  your  young  people  will  not  desire 
to  go  elsewhere  to  ‘‘seek  their  fortunes.”  Aim  to  pro, 
(luce  ail  that  you  can  consume;  that  is,  of  course,  ail  that 
the  resources  of  your  soil  and  youi\  accessibility  to  the 
sources  of  supply  of  the  raw  material  entering  into  manu 
fa^tiu’es,  will  enable  you  to  produce.  Do  not  fear  that 
commerce  will  languish  should  you  become,  Vvithin  the 
limits  here  indicated,  seif  feeding  and  seif  clothing.  You 
Will  have  plenty  of  wants  which  the  laborers  of  other  pia- 
ces,  of  other  states,  and  of  other  countries  alone  caji 
supply. 

A Luther  impeudaht  work  for  you  will  be  to  devise  and 
perfect  the  best  system  of  domestic  co  operation.  A 
steam  laundry  is  a pressing  necessity  with  you  now^,  as  it 
is  with  every  other  towm  and  village  which  has  not  one  al- 
ready. Such  a laundry,  managed  by  those  who  have  an 
aptitude  for  the  wmrk  and  therefore  can  obtain  the  best 
i.esults,  would  be  of  inestimable  advantage  to  you  all. 


11. 


There  are  two  possible  plans  for  oarrviug  on  this  woik 
successfully.  One  is  to  co  operate  in  the  purchase  of  iiten 
sils,  materials,  etc.,  paying  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
people  in  each  lamily  and  paying  in  a similar  way  for  scr 
vices  of  those  who  do  the  work.  The  otliQi-  plan  would 
be  to  pay  those  vvho  attend  to  the  business  ^ so  much  ])cr 
piece,  as  in  ordinary  laundries,  but  reserving  an  agreed 
upon  per  cent  each  week  until  the  contribution  of  eac  h 
member  has  been  returned  to  him  or  her  irp  work.  This 
would  result  in  eventually  giving  the,  workers  full  poses - 
sioii  ot  the  tools.  Or  the  workers  could  be  paid  by  the 
piece,  and  the  co  operators  retain  possession  of  tools,  etc. 

Next,  we  have  the  cooking  department,  which  should 
be  similarly  conducted.  As  in  the  laundry,  lusiness,  the 
cost  of  all  .articles  to  those  using  them  will  be  determined 
[)y  adding  the  separate  items  of  hrst  cost  of  materials,  the 
cost  of  fuel,  wear  of  utensils,  laboi  services  of  the  workers, 
etc.,  etc.,  and  striking  an  average  showing,,  say,  the  cost 
of  bread  per  pound,  of  cakes  the  sarx^e,  of  pies  per  dozen, 
baked  meats  per  pound,  etc.  Whatever  could  be  most 
conveniently  provided  in  this  wa}^  would  bb. cooked  at  the 
co-operative  bakery  and  in  the  co  operative  kitchen,  wbii(3 
vegetables  and  silIx  other  articles  of  food  as  are  more 
subject  to  the  law  of  individual  taste.',  would  continue  to  be 
prepared  in  the  family  kitchen  and  in  the  bcardijig 
house  and  hotel.  Here  .again  we  should  have  tin.* 
advantage  of  the  division  oi  labor,  whi».h  vvoman  has 
not  anywhere  nearh"  equally  shared  with  her  broth('r. 
The  be  t materials  can  thus  be  used  with  the  least 
waste,  and  the  most  skilled  culinary'  workers  em 
})loyed.  The  time  is  coming  hen  all  food  will  be  iliixs 
prepared,  and  served  in  well  aired  and  tastefully  adorne  I 
dining  rooms,  where  the  odors  from  the  kitchen,  wash 
room  and  nursery  never  come,  and  where  lixeu.  and  worn 
en  an i children  gather  to  partake  of  good  and  liealtbfiil 
food,  and  to  engigo  in  enlivening  and  digestion  assisting 
conversation.  But  this  can  never  be  while  women  are  the 
.slaves  of  the  cook  stove  and  the  wash  tub,  and  come  to 
the  table  heated,  iiTitated,  and  often  soiled  and'  untidy. 
Woman  must  ha^e  much  more  time  for  intelle.timl  cul 


12. 


>-  ' .-  ''  '-V--  <•-  ‘ ; 


tiire  and  for  thb  training  ( f her  children,  and  that  time 
she  cannot  have  until  we  learn  to  combine  our  various 
forces  and  effect  such  changes  in  the  kitchen,  wash  room, 
nursery,  sewing  room  and  other  parts  of  the  household  as 
shall  give  her  the  benefit  of  modern  invention  and  put  her 
upon  an  equality  with  man  in  thn  posession  of  opportuni- 
ties for  physical  and  intellectual  culture  and  recreation. 
-Bad  as  is  our  present  industrial  system,  man  has  some 
chance  to  choose  his  occupation.  With  woman,  on  the 
contrary,  there,  is  no  alterrative  when  once  the  cares  of  a ' 
family  devolve  upon  her,  unless  she  be  avealthy.  But  if 
she  is  poor  or  in  moderate  circumstances  onl^q  she  must 
be  cook,  washerwoman,  nurse,  chambermaid,  sewing- 
Avoman,  and  girl  of  all  work.  No  w^onder  that  she  gets 
discouraged  and  disgusted  and  says  that  she  “hates 
housework.’'  Who  can  blame  her  if  she  does?  Her  work 
is  simply  drudgery;  it  is  not  congenial;  it  does  not  stimu- 
late to  invention;  it  does  not  inspire  to  emulation  in  any 
considerable  or  exalted  degree.  But  in  such  a system  of 
CO  operation  as  I have  very  biiefiy  outlined,  each  woman 
would  be  apt  to  find  some  work  to  do  wdiich  wmuld  • be  to 
her  something  more  than  a mere  routine  of  “chores.” 
Ambition  v/ould  be  called  into  play,  skill  W'Ould.  be  de- 
veloped, a just  reward  for  work  done  would  cheer  and 
encourage,  and  at  last  we  should  find  skilled  women  tak- 
ing the  same  pride  in  and  receiving  the  same  pay  for  their 
labor  as  do  skilled  men. 

Extending  the  principles  of  co  operation  into  every  de- 
partment of  human  activity  in  your  town  and  its  vicinage, 
reaping  the  fruits  of  your  own  labors  and  robbing  not 
others  of  theirs;  giving  each  as  full  opportundy  as  possible 
to  congenial  work,  and  sharing  in  the  benefits  derived 
from  your  united  but  free  labors,  what  a future  may  be 
yours!  And  all  this  is  possible  it’  you  but  begin  aright. 


13. 


PRACTICAL  CO-OPERATiON. 
Self-Employment. 

No.  V. 

I Lave  said  that  what  is  called  ‘‘overproduction”  is  re 
ally  the  inability  of  the  people  to  purchase  the  articles 
which  are  necessary  to  their  comfort  and  happiness.  Of 
course,  this  statement  did  not  express  ail  I wished  to  say, 
and  I will  now  indicate  wherein  our  present  system  of 
production  tends  to  make  the  poor  poorer  and  the  rich 
richer,  ^vithout  direct  reference  to  the  great  cause  already 
named, — Usory. 

AVhere  once  the  constant  labors  of  ail  the  race  were 
necessary  to  provide  for  their  physical  needs,  now, 
through  tlie  marvellous  inventions  of  modern  times,  a few 
have  been  enabled  to  supply  food,  clothmg,  and  shelter 
for  thousands.  This  has  inured  somewhat  to  the  benefit 
of  tiie  masses,  but  has  generally  and  in  a far  greater  de- 
gree tended  to  build  up  certain  privileged  classes,  to  the 
development  of  castes,  which  have  subsisted  upon  the  la 
bor  fruits  of  the  toilers.  No  longer  as  in  the  palmy  days 
of  Koine,  is  the  soldier  simply  a citizen  and  a laborer  when 
not  in  active  service.  No  longer  is  the  priest  the  invent- 
or, the  discoverer,  the  physiciar,  the  conservaior  of  learn 
iug.  The  soldier  and  the  priest,  the  tax  gatherer  and  the 
money  lender,  the  protected  manufacturer  and  the  lawyer, 
are  now  ail  in  the  non  producing  class;  all  living  upon  the 
actual  laborers,  whether  of  brain  or  brawn,  it  does  not 
matter.  As  I Icefore  stated,  the  monopolization  of  credit, 
of  land,  of  mines,  and  of  transportation,  has  made  vast 
number^  of  our  people  the  helpless  dependents  of  capital 
disassociated  from  labor.  Added  to  these  causes  and 
helping  to  rivet  the  chains  which  they  forge  is  machinery. 
In  many  instances,  one  man  or  even  a child,  tending  a 
machine  is  able  to  produce  iu  one  day  what  it  formerly 
w^ould  have  taken  hundreds  of  men  the  same  length  of 
time  to  produce.  This  is  especially  true  iu  the  rnanufac 
ture  of  textile  fabrics,  but  the  same  state  of  affairs  prevails 
in  other  departments  of  production,  as,  for  mstance.  In 
making  of  boots  and  shoes.  “One  shoe  factory  in  Massa 


14. 


chusetts  tarns  out  by  patent  macliiiiery  in  twelve  months 
as  many  pairs  of  boots  and  shoes  as  thirty  thousand  shoe 
makers  can  make  by  hand  in  the  s^me  time.”  The  re 
suit  of  all  this  is  that  the  market  is  glutted  with  those 
goods  while  men  are  vainly  crying  for  work,  and  their 
families  are  upon  the  verge  of  destitution.  No  intelligent 
person  needs  to  be  told  that  somebody  must  be  reaping  a 
golden  harvest  from  the  field  of  human  want,  lhat  these 
machines  which  cheapen  production  must  be  cf  immense 
advantage  to  somebody.  Who  is  this  favored  individu^d? 
He  assumes  protean  shapes;  in  one  place,  he  is  the  office 
holder;  in  another,  he  is  the  protected  manufacturer;  in 
another,  the  land  monopolist;  in  another,  the  monopolizer 
of  credit;  i.  e.,  the  banker  and  usurer.  In  ea(  h and  every 
instance  he  is  the  one  who  absorbs  the  earrings  of  the  la 
borer  and  appropriates  to  himself  the  net  dividends  result- 
ing from  the  use  of  labor  saving  machinery. 

What  shall  be  done?  Machinery  is  good  in  itself,  and 
it  should  be  a blessing  instead  of  a curse  to  mankind. 
Had  the  laboring  masses  but  possessed  the  wisdom  which 
is  their  sorest  need,  they  would  long  ere  this  have  per- 
ceived that  they  must  themselves  owni  the  maJiines  they 
tend,  and  thus  retain  for  their  own  use  and  l^enefit  all 
that  they  produce.  When  all  the  surplus  earnings  of  one 
thousand  men  go  into  the  pockets  of  one  man;  when  all 
the  advantages  that  accrue  from  the  use  of  ma;  hinery  by 
these  one  tbonsand  men  are  reaped  by  this  one  man, 
w’^hat  can  wn  expe  t but  just  what  stares  us  iii  the  face  on 
every  hand  to  day?  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  idle  looms 
in  the  cotton  manufactare;  tens  of  thousands  in  the  wnol 
en;  knit  goods  mills  largel^^  closed;  in  the  neighborhood 
of  200  iron  mills  and  furnaces  closed,  and  unemployed 
men  and  women  and  children  everywhere.  What  is  the 
cause  of  all  this  idleness  and  consequent  misery?  Can 
not  these  men  iiiid  women  and  children,  by  the  aid  of  alt 
this  wonderful  macJiinery,  produce  enough  to  keep  them 
from  want?  To  be  sure  they  can,  and  do,  but  they  get 
onl}’  a snivall  portion  of  what  they  create.  0 hey  need  not 
w'ork  half  so  many  hours  as  they  now  do  to  be  twd^e  as- 
w*ell  provided  for  as  they  now  are.  - ' 


15. 


Co  operation  shall  give  them  fool  and  clothing  and 
homes  and  education  and  recreation.  This  politics  never 
has  done  and  tiever  can  do.  It  puis  them  more  and 
more  into  the  power  of  tlieir  spoilers  each  year.  They 
must  combine  their  means,  their  brains,  and  their  hands, 
and  EMPLOY  THEMSELVES.  They  must  organize  their  own 
credit  and  gradually  extricate  themselves  trcm  the  clutch 
es  of  the  State  chartered  and  State  protected  monopolizers 
of  money.  They  must  organize  Labor  Products  Ex- 
crhange  Bureaus  to  facilitate  the  equitable  exchange  of 
farm  produce  and  manufactured  goods.  A certain  num 
her  of  people  engaged  in  the  co  operative  manufacture  of 
cotton  goods;  others  of  woolen  and  knit  goods;  others  in 
the  production  of  boots  and  shoes;  others  in  the  mining 
of  coal  and  iron;  otters  in  smelting;  others  in  the  making 
of  machinery,  and  still  others  in  tlie  various  branches  of 
agriculture,  etc.,  etc.,  could  organize  themselves  into  an 
Exchange  Bureau  and  soon  place  themselves  above  want 
ill  spite  of  the  protective  tariff  and  all  other  robbing  de 
vices.  Lei  the  people  of  Liberal  set  the  ball  in  motion^ 
Beginning  with  the  co  operative  enterprises  I have  biief  y 
outlined,  sustained  by  the  Labor  Exchange  note,  destined 
to  grow  into  the  Peoples’  Exchange  Bank,  and  supple 
mented  by  the  Labor  Products  Exchange  Bureau,  it  is 
within  your  power  to  ring  the  death  knell  of  . monopoly 
and  pri^dlege,  and  usher  in  the  glorious  day  of  Liberty, 
Justice' and  Equity.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  crude  theo- 
logical superstitions  of  the  remote  past  are  dying;  the  su- 
perstitions which  most  grievously  afrlict  us  of  to-day  are 
political,  iiidustrial,  and  social,  and  we  must  destroy  them 
by  supplanting  with  something  better  the  unjust  systems 
which  they  conserve. 


16. 


PRACTICAL  CO-OPERATION. 
Salf-Employment. 

No.  VI. 

When  there  are  abundant  crops  and  a great  amount  of 
inanufa'itured  goods  in  the  country,  the  people  should 
not  be  in  a state  of  need;  should  not  suffer  for  the  neces 
saries  of  life.  And  yet  they  are  in  such  a state;  yet  they 
do  suffer.  Since  I began  this  series  of  articles,  I have 
been  travelling  through  Kansas,  and  never  before  have  I 
heard  so  many  complaints  of  hard  times;  never  before 
have  I found  the  people  of  any  considerable  portion  of 
the  West  so  pressed  for  ready  means.  Crops  were  abund 
ant  this  season  and  the  shops  of  the  tradesmen  were 
crowded  with  textile  fabri(^s,  with  knit  goods,  with  iron, 
wood  and  queensware,  with  table  goods,  in  short,  with  all 
things  needed  in  the  household  and  upon  the  farm.  But 
trade  is  dull.  The  crops  remain  in  the  cribs  and  bins, 
and  the  stock  in  the  yards  of  the  farm,  and  the  goods  up- 
on the  shelves  of  the  merchant.  Prices  of  agricultural 
produce  are  so  low  that  farmers  will  not  sell  unless  abso 
lutely  compelled  by  their  wants  to  do  so.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  workingmen  of  the  manufacturing  districts  are 
suffering  for  the  food  supplies  for  which  there  is  no  mar 
ket.  The  piracy  of  our  government,  through  the  tariff, 
shuts  in  our  faces  the  doors  of  the  world’s  mai*kets,  v\hile 
capitalistic  production  and  monopoly  of  transportation, 
coupled  with  usury  and  monopolization  of  credit,  make  of 
our  people  the  slaves  of  political  and  commercial  gamblers 
and  the  dependents  of  money  disassociated  from  and 
dominating  labor. 

How  easily  might  all  this  be  changed  if  the  people  were 
only  wise  enough  to  help  themselves.  Through  co  oper 
ation  and  exchange  they  can  free  themselves  from  the 
gra^p  of  the  money  Icing's  and  transportation  barons,  of 
the  protected  manufacturers  and  the  State  which  grants 
the  protection.  How  this  good  work  may  be  begun,  I 
have  briefly  indicated,  and  now  I will  still  more  briefly 
sketch  my  ideal  of  the  Township  of  the  future. 

Here  is  the  village  or  town,  (omprised  of  houses  built 


17, 


forcomfort  and  health;  the  houses  being  surrounded  by 
pretty  lawns  and  well  tilled  gardens;  while  the  shops, 
manufactories  and  farms  are  located  away  from  the 
dwelling,  and  the  streets  in  all  parts  of  the  town  are 
kept  scrupulously  clean,  the  most  thorough  drainage  is 
provided,  and  fresh  air  and  sunlight  are  ever  welcome 
guests.  On  all  sides  away  from  the  town  stretch  the 
groves,  orchards,  meadows,  farm  lands,  and  pastures, 
where  are  grown  the  finest  fruits,  Avhere  the  choicest 
varieties  of  grains,  grasses  and  vegetables  are  raised, 
and  where  the  best  of  stock  is  grazing.  The  isolated 
farmhouse  is  the  memory  of  the  sad  ages  gone,  and  the 
crowded,  filthy,  and  unhealthful  city  tenement  is 
known  no  more.  City  and  country  have  been  com- 
bined and  only  the  best  of  each  has  been  retained. 
Here  are  beautiful  parks  with  fountains  and  arbors 
and  green  houses  and  parterres  of  fiowers;  with  birds 
and  sweet  perfumes,  and  all  else  that  delights  the 
senses  of  the  rural  denizen;  and  here  also  are  to  be 
found  gymnasiums,  bath  houses, — water,  air  and  sun — 
all  facilities  for  youthful  sports,  aquariums,  etc.,  etc.^ 
musical  conservatories,  libraries,  reading  rooms,  scien- 
tific museums,  labratories,  and  whatever  else  shall  con- 
duce to  the  true  culture  and  refinement  of  our  race. 
The  various  everyday  necessities  shall  be  provided  for 
by  the  individual  and  co-operative  laundries,  kitchens, 
bakeries,  sewii  g rooms,  etc.,  of  which  I have  previous- 
ly given  short  descriptions.  Men  and  women  have 
learned  how  to  be  happy,  and  in  so  learning  they  have* 
ceased  to  oppress  and  rob  each  other.  Machinery  and 
free  co-operation  have  enabled  them  to  supply  all  their 
wants  by  a fair  and  healthful  amount  of  labor,  thu» 
eliminating  drudgery  on  the  one  hand  and  domineer- 
ing and  arrogant  idleness  on  the  other.  Population  is 
limited  by  wisdom  and  supported  by  liberty  of  pro- 
duction and  exchange.  Indiuiduals,  free  to  combine 
and  to  separate,  have  through  Co-operation,  the  Labor 
Exchange  note,  the  Excliange  Bank,  and  the  Labor 
Product  Exchange  Bureau,  succeeded  in  establishing 
the  free  home  and  free  society,  wherein  the  rights  of 


18. 


all  are  sacredly  respected,  where  each  reaps  as  he  or 
she  has  sown;  and  where  association  based  on  rights 
has  been  freed  from  tyranny  and  has  established  equity 
and  independence. 


ERRATA. 

2nd  page,  after  “even”  in  16th  line  there  should  be 
an  interrogation  points 

5th  page,  27th  line,  in  place  of  “into”  read  itnto. 

8th  page,  32nd  line,  “devote”  read  donate. 

16th  page,  10th  line,  for  “were”  substitute  are. 
Same  page,  15th  line^  for  “farm”  read  farmer.  Same 
page,  last  line,  for  “comprised”  read  composed. 

Last  paragraph,  23d  line,  omit  “shall.”  Same  para- 
graph, 25th  line,  for  “shall  be”  read  are. 


ff.UCIFESI. 


Radical,  Freetiiouglit, 

Agnostic,  and  Social 

Reform  Journaf  published  at 
Valley  Falls,  Kan.  by  M.  Har- 
man and  E.  C.  Walker, 

FORTNIGHTLY. 

LUCIFER  is  the  exponent  and  defender  of  the  princi- 
ciples  of  Voluntary  Assoeiation;  which  rests  on  Individual 
ism  and  can  not  be  actualized  where  Statecraft  colors  the 
ihough.ts  and  denominates  the  actions  of  men  and  w^omeii. 

Terms:  $1.  per  year;  50  cents  for  Six  months. 

Sample  Copies  Free.  Address,  LUCIFER, 

VALLEY  FALLS,  KANS. 


}>ox  42. 


